Flame Con has announced Atla Hrafney, Steve Orlando, Irene Koh, Vita Ayala, and Terry Blas as further guests for their convention on August 18 – 19, 2018 at the Times Square’s Sheraton in New York City which means it’s BIGGER, BETTER, and BOLDER than ever before. Get your tickets now for the quintessential queer comic con!

Don’t forget, WE WANT YOUR SUGGESTIONS for panels. We’re taking submissions for panels and performances until May 31sthere.

Atla Hrafney is a rad gal living in a cold tundra like a frozen Hobbit in the middle of Iceland. From this foraging comes a heck of a lot of free time to create fun stories, which exactly what she does a majority of the time. By day she writes comics such as her contribution to the We’re Still Here anthology with artist Phineas Kadinski, and by night she edits other folk’s works. Some of the comics she’s worked on include the hit webcomic Camellia by Ladypcpx and the graphic novel The Carpet Merchant of Konstantinyya by Remena Ashel Yee.

Steve Orlando writes and produces comics, including VIRGIL (IGN’s best Graphic Novel of 2015), Undertow and stories in the Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory at Image Comics. As well, he launched 2015’s Midnighter and 2016’s Midnighter and Apollo, both nominated for GLAAD awards, and took part in Justice League: Gods and Men, Batman and Robin Eternal and most recently launched Supergirl, The Shadow/ Batman,Justice League of America and The Unexpected for DC Entertainment, as well as CRUDE for Skybound Entertainment.

Irene Koh is an illustrator, karaoke queen, and red meat enthusiast born in Korea and based out of the SF Bay Area. She has drawn THE LEGEND OF KORRA: TURF WARS for Dark Horse, SECRET ORIGINS: BATGIRL for DC, 1602: WITCH HUNTER ANGELA for Marvel, and TMNT: CASEY & APRIL for IDW, among other things.

Vita Ayala spent years working retail, and night security at a one of the oldest museums in New York City, before taking the plunge and entering the Thunderdome lifestyle that is pursuing a career in writing comics. They have since written for DC Comics (Rebirth Wonder Woman Annual #1, Rebirth Batgirl Annual #1), Dark Horse Comics (Secret Loves of Geeks), and Image Comics (Bitch Planet Triple Feature #4), as well as having a creator owned book, The Wilds, out through Black Mask Studios. They live in New York City with their wife and ridiculous cat-son.

Terry Blas is the illustrator/writer behind the comics Ghetto Swirl and You Say Latino. His work has appeared in Rick and Morty, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball and AdventureTime. He illustrated the drag superhero book, Mama Tits Saves the World. His latest book is a fat camp murder mystery titled: Dead Weight: Murder at Camp Bloom, published by Oni Press.

Tickets to Flame Con are available through Eventbrite and will feature Daily, Weekend and Weekend VIP passes which includes access to the official 2018 Flame Con party. Tickets can be purchased at www.flamecon.eventbrite.com.

Join Geeks OUT presents comic creator Tee Franklin at Rocco’s Tacos on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 7:00 PM to celebrate the release of her new book from Image Comics BINGO LOVE. We will be enjoying tacos and cocktails while Tee answers all our BINGO LOVE questions.

Following the Q&A we will be playing BINGO for some great prizes, we have signed copies of Bingo Love, Gift Certificates from local businesses, Comic books and trades and more! Hosted by Lynaé DePriest this is sure to be a fun night.

Tickets are $10 in advance $20 at the door and will get you two bingo cards to play with purchase!

About Bingo Love:
When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-’60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage. From Tee Franklin (Nailbiter’s The Outfit, Love is Love) and Jenn St-Onge (Jem & The Misfits), Bingo Love is a touching story of love, family, and resiliency that spans over 60 years.

Just two weeks ago Flame Con HQ was overwhelmed the amazing love and support after announcing our return for the fourth year in Times Square! Since then we’ve been busy making this year the best year ever, starting with some special guests.

Flame Con is excited to host Jen Bartel, best known for her ongoing cover work for Marvel, DC/Vertigo, Dark House and IDW, LA-based artist Kris Anka (Captain Marvel, Uncanny X-Men, Star-Lord), and comic writer Tee Franklin (Bingo Love, The Outfit, A Blazin’) at this year’s expo.

Flame Con will be held on August 18 – 19, 2018 at The Sheraton in Times Square. Tickets to Flame Con are available through Eventbrite and will feature Daily, Weekend and Weekend VIP passes which includes access to the official 2018 Flame Con party. Tickets can be purchased at www.flamecon.eventbrite.com.

The Cartoon Art Museum’s ongoing Emerging Artist Showcase will feature Jen Wang’s latest graphic novel The Prince and the Dressmaker, published by First Second Books. A selection of Wang’s original artwork will be on display from February 15 through June 24, 2018.

An opening reception and book signing will be held at the Cartoon Art Museum on Thursday, February 15, 2018 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. This reception will feature a conversation with Jen as she looks back on her career in comics and animation and looks ahead to upcoming projects. The reception is co-sponsored by the Cartoon Art Museum, First Second Books, Geeks OUT, and Prism Comics. All attendees will receive an exclusive The Prince and the Dressmaker print courtesy of First Second Books. The suggested admission for this reception is $5 for the general public. Advance tickets are available through Guestlist.com

About Jen Wang:Jen Wang is a cartoonist and illustrator currently living in Los Angeles. Her works have appeared in the Adventure Time comics and LA Magazine. She recently illustrated Tom Angleberger’s Fake Mustache. Her graphic novels Koko Be Good and In Real Life (with author Cory Doctorow) were published by First Second.

About The Prince and the Dressmaker:
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!

Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.

About The Emerging Artist Showcase:
The Cartoon Art Museum’s Emerging Artist Showcase is dedicated to the presentation of new and emerging voices in comics, from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. This ongoing series of exhibitions is curated by the Cartoon Art Museum and supported in part by the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

About Prism Comics and the Queer Press Grant:
Founded in 2003, Prism Comics is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ+ friendly comics, comics professionals and readers. Prism fosters diversity in comics and popular geek culture and is one of the only comics organizations that provide an annual financial grant to emerging comics creators – The Prism Comics Queer Press Grant. Learn more at prismcomics.org.

About Geeks OUT:Geeks OUT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to rallying, empowering and promoting the queer geek community. Formed in 2010, Geeks OUT has brought a positive queer presence to several large comic conventions and hosted a wide variety of community events in the NYC area and across the USA. Geeks OUT events have included art shows, geeky self-defense classes, movie screenings, and bar crawls, among others.

The sixth annual Awesome Con by LeftField Media, the Mid-Atlantic’s premier pop culture convention, will unite 80,000 fans of comics, technology and science, television and film, custom art, over-the-top cosplay, and more at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1, 2018. The convention floor and panel rooms will buzz with hundreds of hours’ worth of programs including: celebrities and experts hosting panels and exclusive reveals; cosplay fashion shows; gaming tournaments; iconic film memorabilia exhibits; and a diverse array of activities for families on Easter weekend.

Family-friendly pavilion Awesome Con Jr returns with even more playful events planned to educate and entertain kids of all ages and parents alike, with special promotions in place to engage Awesome Con’s youngest fans throughout the show. Future Con, Awesome Con’s science pavilion, will dive into the latest developments in science and science fiction sure to delight even the most curious minds. Back for the second year is Pride Alley presented in partnership with Geeks OUT, shining a spotlight on LGBTQ creators and fans in an even more robust section of Artist Alley.

With Awesome Con 2018 hosting more energetic programs, more globally recognized special guests, and presenting more exclusive previews and announcements to attendees than ever before, it continues growing into a standout annual destination as an unbridled celebration of pop culture and pure fun.

About Awesome ConAwesome Con is the biggest annual comic and pop culture convention in Washington, D.C., having welcomed over 71,000 attendees in 2017. Awesome Con celebrates all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, with a wide assortment of engaging events, comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and more. Awesome Con is presented in partnership with LeftField Media, an event organization company developed by the founder of New York Comic Con. Learn more at www.awesomecon.com.

Dust off your best Super Suit and fly on over to our Fortress of Fabulous for QOMIX: Queer Comicon Party, presented by Emerald City Comic Con and brought to you by epic event organizers Jetspace Magazine (Pink Party Prime) and Geeks OUT (FLAME CON). Join your fellow queer geeks, along with your host, legendary cosplayer Abie Ekenezar/Babs Cosplay, and hard-hitting DJs Nome Goldie (Darqness Seattle) and Howin 1000 (Darqness Seattle) for drinks, dancing, and the amazing QOMIX Cosplay Contest, where you could win some fabulous prizes. There’s no better way to kick off your ECCC weekend!

Flame Con, created by the LGBTQ non-profit Geeks OUT, is announcing its fourth annual expo on Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19. After a record year of 6,000 attendees in 2017, Flame Con will be relocating to a new venue at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel to accommodate a larger exhibitor floor, panel rooms, special hotel stay rates and more. Tickets for the con and registration for exhibitors and vendors are now open.

“I am beyond thrilled to be bringing Flame Con back for our fourth year,” said Steve Gianaca, Vice President of Geeks OUT and Flame Con Chair. “Geek culture through a queer lens has always been our premise and, with the continuous support from the LGBTQ community, we are constantly growing. I cannot wait for our attendees to experience the same ethos of fun and inclusion in our new venue.”

SparQ Fund is also returning this year helping make this year’s con more accessible by funding ADA compliant ramps. Last year’s SparQ Fund hosted artists Ethan Parker and Amy Reeder, who supported collaborative art workshops for over 100 attendees, featuring their art throughout the convention floor. Through the SparQ Fund, Flame Con aims to provide the entire LGBTQ community with the opportunity to experience meaningful, provocative art that reflects themselves. The SparQ Fund will be sponsored by Hive Works again this year, joining another returning sponsor, Webtoon who will once again be hosting our annual vendor brunch.

Last year’s con featured over 200 queer-oriented vendors alongside the likes of feature creators Kate Leth (Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat!) Dan Parent (Life with Kevin), Steve Orlando (Supergirl) and more. The con also played host to celebrity special guests Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham) and Vincent Rodriguez III (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). This year, Flame Con is happy to be welcoming back some of last year’s featured guests such as Sina Grace (Burn the Orphanage, Li’l Depressed Boy).

“Flame Con was hands-down one of the best convention experiences of my life,” said Sina Grace, comics writer and artist. “I begged the gracious and wonderful crew at Geeks OUT to have me back, and I’m beyond thrilled to celebrate comics with the most inclusive and loving bunch of people I’ve ever met.”

In addition to Grace, Flame Con looks forward to hosting the creative talents of Tee Franklin (Bingo Love), illustrator Jen Bartel and more. Featuring hundreds of creators exhibiting queer-positive comics, arts, crafts, clothes and entertainment, Flame Con is open to all ages and will be free for all youth on Sunday, August 19.

Tickets to Flame Con are available through Eventbrite and will feature Daily, Weekend and Weekend VIP passes which includes access to the official 2018 Flame Con party. Tickets can be purchased at www.flamecon.eventbrite.com.

Celebrating Free Comic Book Day and the gays that love it, Zeus Comics & Collectibles & Geeks OUT Team Up with The Eagle to bring you “Furrest”!

Come out and meet some of the Furrest of Them All – Phil Jimenez & Stephen Sadowski (artists who recently teamed up on Vertigo’s “Fairest”)

Watch Resident Model Troy Greger PUMP up in super hero faire

Drink “Furrest” inspired cocktails and shots (Prickly Bear Martini & Bear Bomb, all $6) courtesy of The Furrest Bartender in town Robert Stahl, and party with Dallas’ Preimer Geeks as they prepare for Free Comic Book Day and a weekend that promises to scratch every geek itch known and unknown!